Blood Bound
by Lady Sethia
Summary: She had set out to find the ultimate power, the blood of a miko. Not just any miko would do though; no they must be one with the purest of hearts and the strongest of wills. Little did she know that this journey she had embarked upon would change her life


Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Inu Yasha and Co. I do own original characters, Ryoushi and the 'unknown demoness'.

Authors Note: Okay another story, another day. Yeah yeah, I know a lot of you are going to be upset with me starting yet another story. But I write to relieve stress and to have fun; I just like to share with you guys. My muse tells me what to write and that's what I do. I will give you my word that none of my stories will go incomplete, I will finish every last one. As to how long it will take, that I can not be so sure of.

Summary: She had set out to find the ultimate power, the blood of a miko. Not just any miko would do though; no they must be one with the purest of hearts and the strongest of wills. Little did she know that this journey she had embarked upon would change her life drastically.

Blood Bound: Prologue

Magenta eyes slowly took in the small village and its surroundings. The dark grey hue of her skin camouflaged her presence as she hid in the shadows from the bushes. Smiling she rolled her plan through her head once again making sure she didn't miss anything and all possible scenarios were covered. '_Now to sit back and wait for nightfall._' She thought as she stood slowly and receded back into the dense forest from which she had come.

Midoriko was out tending to her herbs in the garden near her hut as the sun made its final decent from the darkening blue sky. A cold wind blew through the village causing a shudder to run down her spine. Standing, the miko looked out to the forest on the outskirts of her home. '_Something's not right._' With an ominous feeling hanging over her she turned and made her way to the large hut near the center of the village.

She had lain on her straw bed staring at the wooden beams above her for what seemed like hours trying to get the rest she needed but it seemed only to elude her. Closing her eyes again she felt herself start to drift off just as another shudder rocketed through her. A terrified scream pierced the night air a few seconds later. Bolting up out of bed Midoriko hastily threw on her miko robes and ran out of her hut. More screams rang out through the night and her blood ran cold as she raced to the large hut she had visited earlier that evening. Before she even made it to her friend's hut, Ryoushi was already making his way towards her. "What's happening?" Her voice coming out desperate and her breathing labored.

He didn't bother to bow before the miko, time was short. Bringing his black eyes to her grey ones he spoke, "It is just as you feared, a demon has attacked the village. From the smell of its frenzied blood I can only assume it's after one thing." He lowered her head when he saw the pained expression settle on her face. "It is only a young demon, milady, I can destroy it if you wish."

Midoriko shook her head at this. "No, I do not wish it destroyed. But I also do not wish for it to return." Her thoughts turned fast in her head as she desperately racked her brain for an answer as quickly as possible. Then it hit her and her face lit up as she whispered, "Yes!" Drawing Ryoushi closer to her she whispered into his ear. "This is what we will do ..."

She looked to the destruction around her and smirked. '_Everything is going as planned._' Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the village women she had trapped behind her try to make an escape. Backhanding her hard enough only to knock her back she growled a warning, "If you or anyone else tries that again I will kill the children of this village slowly while you watch." Satisfied with the response of wide, frightened eyes, she brought her gaze back to the direction the miko would be coming from. As if on cue she caught a glimpse of the red and white of the priestess' clothing through the thick smoke.

With a brisk pace she walked through what was left of the northern half of her village. Though her eyes stayed focused on the demon she could now see ahead, she managed to assess the damage. Smoke drifted heavily through the dirt roads and a sickening orange hue lit up the sky. Nearly all the huts she passed were either on fire and collapsing, or had been destroyed with just the blows from the demon's hands. Tears teetered on the edge of falling from her eyes but she refused to show weakness to this demon. As she drew closer to the assailant she heard a man's voice shout out above the roaring of the fires, "Midoriko's here, we're saved!" A nauseating sound of flesh meeting flesh then screams filling her ears had her forcibly holding back a scream of her own. '_If it wanted me why did it attack the furthest side of the village?_' The question that rolled through her head was answered as she finally stepped up to the demoness and saw the frightened women huddling behind her. Summoning up what strength she had she spoke, "What is it you want?"

The demoness snarled, "Don't play with me, miko. You know what it is I want. And if you don't give it to me ..." A sadistic grin formed on her lips as she grabbed one of the women by the hair and hauled her up then shoved her to where Midoriko could see. "I'll kill every woman and child in this village, and then let you live knowing you couldn't protect your weak humans." To emphasize her threat her hand went around the lady's throat and started to squeeze.

Taking another step forward, Midoriko put her hands out in front of her body palms up. "I'll give you what you want, let them go." She saw the demoness nod but she never released the woman. "We made a deal demon, release them." Hearing a growl the hostages were released. Sighing mentally as she watched the women run past her she felt the pressure in her chest subside. Nodding her head, she spoke softly to the air, "Now."

Confusion displayed itself on her face as she felt strong hands grab her arms then twist them painfully behind her. Looking up she saw the knowing look on the miko's face and her confusion gave way to anger. "We made a deal! How dare you dishonor that!" She spat as she glared hatefully at the priestess in front of her.

"You speak of dishonor, yet look around you to what you have done to my village for power." Pulling out a small crystal vial shaped as a four pointed star from her robes, she made her way over to the demoness. "You wanted blood and blood you shall have. But it will not be mine." Glancing over the demoness' shoulder she looked to Ryoushi. "Hold her hand out please." He did as he was instructed as Midoriko pulled her athame from her obi. Quickly she made a large, but shallow cut across the palm of the offender's hand. Turning the demoness' hand she chanted an incantation as she filled the vial with blood. Finishing she looked into the glowing magenta eyes of the demoness. "The spell placed upon this vial of your blood binds you to the person who holds it. It will not break, nor can it be opened." The dark red fluid in the container glowed softly then began to turn black. "Only when your heart becomes pure and untainted and your lust for power subsides will you be released from the spell."

Whistling she called her bird messenger over to her, and then held out the bottle for it to take. "I want you to take this as far away from here as you can." Letting the bird go on its task she turned back to the captive demoness. "My friend here will release you after a while. I suggest you leave immediately if you wish to find the vial. I wish you luck, for you will need it." With that she turned to go comfort her village.

* * *

Possible unfamiliar word meanings:

Miko - Priestess

Athame - A magical dagger/knife

Characters (original):

Ryoushi – A grey bear demon

Description: 6' 3" tall, very lean but extremely strong. Mid-back length jet black hair that he keeps pulled up in a low ponytail and black eyes. (That's all I can tell you right now, more will be revealed at a later time)

Unknown Demoness – You're gonna have to wait till the first chapter to find this out laughs sadistically


End file.
